Sunday, June 9, 2013

Triple home plate wedding for 1949 Cats

Uncommon commons: In more than 30 years in sportscards publishing I have thrown hundreds of notes into files about the players – usually non-star players – who made up the majority of the baseball and football cards I collected as a kid. Today, I keep adding to those files as I peruse microfilms of The Sporting News from the 1880s through the 1960s. I found these tidbits brought some life to the player pictures on those cards. I figure that if I enjoyed them, you might too.

Four members of the Ft. Worth Cats were married at
home plate at La Grave Field on Aug.21, 1950, in what was believed to have been
an unprecedented baseball nuptials extravaganza.

With three different
ministers – Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran – and a district judge
performing separate ceremonies, the ballplaying bridegrooms and their betrothed
were: pitcher John Rutherford and Martha Jo Day of Dayton, Tenn., second
baseman Joe Torpey and Marilee Cook of Pueblo, Colo., shortstop Russ Rose and
Patricia Ann Thayer of Van Nuys, Calif., and third baseman Don Hoak and Phyllis
Warner of Coudersport, Pa.

Probably with financial aid provided by the several national
magazines, including Life, and newsreels that covered the event, the
four brides-to-be were flown to Ft.Worth for the quadruple
ceremony.

A Cats fans’ committee that was organized to make the
arrangements and provide for gifts suitably decorated the recently constructed
La Grave Field with a reported $980 worth of flowers, an altar, a carpeted
aisle from the pitcher’s mound to home plate and other suitable touches.

The benedicts’ teammates served as ushers while the team
president, manager, assistant manager and a local sports writer served as best
men.

More than 60 of the couples’ friends and relatives traveled
to Ft.Worth from six states to witness the
ceremonies. They were joined by 9,817 fans. Music was provided by the La Grave
Field organist, male and female soloists and the nationally famous 21-voice
Denton Civic Boys Choir.

Gifts from more than 100 donors included cash, Savings
Bonds, household utensils and groceries.

Following the vows, the grooms changed from their tuxedos into their uniforms and defeated Oklahoma City 6-4. Pitcher John Rutherford did not appear in the game. Second baseman Torpey got a hit and an RBI in four trips, handling four chances in the field perfectly. Rose, at shortstop, made three sparkling plays, though failing to hit in two official plate appearances. Hoak played errorless ball at third base and was 2-for-4 at the plate.

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About Me

I have been a baseball card (and other bubblegum cards) collector since the age of three. I am the former editor and publisher of the sportscards and memorabilia periodicals and books at Krause Publications (SCD, et al). I am the former editor of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.